History of the Los Angeles Lakers
50s - The Original Three-Peat
The first ever NBA three-peat came from the George Mikan led Minneapolis Lakers. Their championship in 1952 also came as their fifth ring in six-year giving head coach John Kundla the third most titles in NBA history. These championships in the 1950s came at a time when only ten teams were in the league.
60s - Second Best
The franchise moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960 as they were led by young stars Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. As they grew into superstars of the league, the Lakers became one of the best teams year in and year out. However they were always overshadowed by the Celtics dynasty who dominated while the Lakers lost in the finals 6 times in this ten year period.
70s - The Superteam
The Lakers finally won it all in 1972 after the two aging stars teamed up with Gail Goodrich and Wilt Chamberlain. They won a record setting 69 regular season games before eventually beating the Knicks in the finals. Only a couple years later, West, Baylor, and Chamberlain were all out of the league.
80s - Reviving the Celtics Rivalry
The Celtics-Lakers rivalry was revitalized after frenemies Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were drafted in 1979. For the next 9 seasons, these two franchises would account for 8 rings meeting in the finals 3 times. They would grow to hate each other but the Lakers would get the last laugh winning twice in the late 80s.
90s - Passing of the Torch
The dynasty came to an end after Magic Johnson retired because of HIV/AIDS. He would return for one final farewell season as a 36 year old in 1996. The very next year, now executive – Jerry West – would sign Shaquille O’Neal in free agency and draft Kobe Bryant. They would become arguably the best duo in NBA history.
00s - Kobe’s Team
The Kobe-Shaq Lakers would go on to win three straight championships in the early 2000s with Shaq winning all three finals MVPs. Tensions would grow between the two over who was the leader of the team until Shaq eventually left for Miami in 2004. From here many questioned whether Kobe could win without Shaq until he eventually won back to back rings in 2009 and 2010 with Pau Gasol.
10s - First Struggles
As Kobe and Pau got older, the franchise lost its dominance and for the first time in Laker history missed the playoffs three years in a row. By the late 2010s Kobe had retired and Lebron signed with the team to bring the franchise back to what they once were. In 2020, he and Anthony Davis led charge in a championship run which was the same year Kobe passed away.
